1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of siphoning apparatus in general and in particular to a pressurized system used to decant the contents of expensive bottles of wine.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,667,856; 5,114,033; 5,740,949; 5,376,272; 4,436,227, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse pressurized fluid transfer systems for switching the fluid content of one fluid receptacle to another fluid receptacle.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical method and apparatus for decanting expensive wines into fresh bottles while retaining the sediment or lees in the original bottle.
As anyone who knows and appreciates expensive vintage wines is well aware, there is normally a 10%-15% loss of the fluid volume of the wine involved with current decanting methods and apparatus; and, while that percentage loss may not seem substantial to the uninitiated, it represents a significant financial loss and diminishment of the potential enjoyment that would have been derived from the lost volume of wine.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need among connoisseurs of fine vintage wines for a new and improved wine decanting method and apparatus that removes almost the entire fluid volume of a bottle of fine vintage wine and only leaves 1%-2% of the original fluid volume along with the sediment or lees; and, the provision of such a method and apparatus is the stated objective of the present invention.
Briefly stated, the method and apparatus that forms the basis of the present invention involves a pump unit, a fluid withdrawal unit and a support unit; wherein the pump unit and fluid withdrawal unit are operatively associated with one another and the interior of a bottle of wine and the support unit is operatively associated with the exterior of the bottle of wine to shift the widely distributed sediment or lees to a concentrated location away from the fluid withdrawal unit.
As will be explained in greater detail further on in the specification, the pump unit is provided to supply pressurized air to the interior of the bottle of wine to commence a siphoning action through the fluid withdrawal unit.
Of more importance, however, is the fact that the fluid withdrawal unit includes a fluid withdrawal head member provided with a one-way valve arrangement for limiting flow in one direction through the upper section of the head member, and a plurality of lateral passageways disposed at a specific height above the bottom of the lower section of the head member. The one-way valve member is provided to trap the last portion of wine that passes the valve member of subsequent gravity transfer into a decanting receptacle; and the height xe2x80x9chxe2x80x9d of the lateral passageways is chosen to virtually eliminate the accidental passage of any of the consolidated lees in the bottom of the wine bottle through the lateral passageways in the head member.